TANZANIA: SIMBA SC will cross swords with ASEC Mimosas today in the CAF Champions League penultimate fixture, knowing that only a positive result against the Ivorians will keep alive their hopes of qualifying into the quarterfinals.
ASEC who have already booked their ticket into the last 8 from group B leaving one ticket to be hunted by three teams Simba, Jwaneng Galaxy, and Wydad AC will host their visitors Simba at the Félix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
Simba is currently settled in second place in the group with 5 points behind ASEC who are in the driver’s seat after collecting 10 points while Galaxy is in the third slot while three times winners of the CAF Champions League title, Wydad AC are at the bottom of the log with 3 points.
Both Simba, Galaxy and Wydad stand a chance to grab the last ticket of the group, so any positive result from the country’s envoys who have already met with ASEC three times since February 2022 will pave the way for them to cruise into the quarterfinals.
In their first two matches, each side won one game, and the third which is the most recent encounter occurred in their first group stage match last November in Dar es Salaam that ended in a 1-1 draw. Speaking ahead of today’s match, Simba Assistant Coach Suleiman Matola said their focus is to make sure they come back home with a win which will put them in a good position to go into the next stage.
“Our focus is to make sure we go home with a victory that will put us in a good position to qualify for the next stage, so we are well prepared and ready for the game,” he explained.
However, he said that despite the hosts having already qualified in the quarterfinals, they are not expecting an easy ride from their opponents as still ASEC will be fighting for honour, making the game tough and unpredictable.
And so, Matola has urged Simba supporters to continue showing their amazing support because their backing means a lot to Simba players and the technical bench as well. “We would love to see more support from our fans, they mean a lot to us, and their backing motivates us to do well,” he said.
On his part, Simba’s goalkeeper Aishi Manula said they are mentally and physically ready to face the Ivorians and they aim to finish the match with a win.
“We are ready to play against them, we can play in any kind of atmosphere, all we want is a win that will put us in a good spot to qualify for the next stage,” he explained.
In today’s encounter, Simba will miss the service of some of its players due to different reasons, the players include Cameroonian striker Willy Onana due to a hamstring injury, their Moroccan goalkeeper Ayoub Lakred and skipper John Bocco who are also still recovering from injury.
